Leveling, Holy and Discipline Priest specs

Here’s a quick glance at my healing and questing specs on the grind from 80 to 85. My mentality behind this was to select talents that would give me an edge in either survivability or efficiency. I went for talents that helped reduce mana costs or gave me mana back. I also opted for talents that made me a little bit tougher to kill.

Starting from level 80

Improved Psychic Scream – In case things get dicey with an overpull, I can couple this talent with Glyph of Psychic Scream. I don’t send mobs flying every where and pulling even more stuff. But it might buy me the precious seconds I need to DPS something down and heal up.

I chose holy as my dungeon healing offspec. Mana won’t be a terribly challenging issue with the opening instances like Blackrock Caverns or Throne of the Tides. But you’ll want to consider grabbing Mental Agility on the way up.

Notes

Desperate Prayer – Yeah, yeah, not many people would choose this. But I personally like having a safety net in dungeons in case I pull something.

Chose Empowered Healing over Divine Fury. Cast time isn’t as big a factor when you’re leveling up via dungeons, I found. Still going to be using a combination of shields and Flash Heal to get over the top.

Yup, I kept Desperate Prayer and Inspiration for raiding. Darkness is another option when your mana regeneration hits a point where it isn’t a big a factor. I won’t be switching to it until I accumulate more potent gear.

So many options here. You can take out the points from Veiled Shadows and place them into Surge of Light or Inspiration (In case your party doesn’t already have one with it). But Disc by far seems to offer the most variety when it comes to talent placement.

Comments

I’m not sold on Imp. Psychic Scream regardless (to be honest, I just wish they’d switch Psychic Horror and Silence so I can have some more PvE utility available), as I’d only take it *in order to* get Silence. The cooldown reduction just isn’t worth it for me.

As for Discipline having the most options, this is quite the opposite from Wrath, where Discipline had the *fewest* options, no?

As Spriest I used PS in controlled situations, for fun, or rather to solo hard-hitting elites (same level = no hit problems, reliable), like the Nagrand “Buying Time” (68e).
Even the glyph would have been good, as I wouldn’t have had to clear around first (those mobs were done already for the previous quest).
Sorry to see all thott comments gone, but there’re still some in cache. (http://www.google.com/search?q=thottbot+“buying+time”)
Is there any major diff with Cata in this regard?

Heya Matticus, why aren’t you recommending Evangelism/Archangel, at least for Disc, while leveling? Wouldn’t Smite be a main DPS spell with Evangelism making it hit harder, and both talents good for instances?

I personally spend more time healing then DPSing. You can probably squeeze in a few Smites for the first set of instances like Blackrock Caverns or Throne. But once you get to the upper stuff, I find I couldn’t spare the GCDs to do it.

Matticus, real small suggestion, but I was wondering why you chose sin & punishment in shadow for leveling over paralysis. Even though the difference is probably pretty small in PvE (sin & punishment is big in PvP), I feel that paralysis is much better for solo leveling and not the harmful in dungeons. Have you really used your shadowfiend that often while leveling?

Dot up mob A. Dot up mob B, sick Shadowfiend on mob B, start Mindflaying/Blasting on Mob A. Once mob A reaches 30% health, start dots on mob C, hit it with a shadow word death to generate mana. Having Mindflay gradually lower the CD of Shadowfiend is awesome to have too.

Remember, the intent of this spec is to maximize mana and getting as much mana back as possible while killing stuff. With Paralysis, I’d probably have to sit and drink more than I’d like.

Curious why do you not take Grace in your Disc build. Personally I love the talent. Even if actual heals are not being spammed on the tank it is still 15% added to your renew, and if a heal is needed you get that bonus. I’d take it over Train of Thought any day.

I am with u on the whole smite thing. No time to use it otherwise it would be a great benefit. Anyway i am now 85 and am doing dungeons now. I have played both Disc and holy and have my main spec as shadow. For healing what spec would you think is easier or more mana friendly? I like disc in wrath but was holy in bc. Just trying to get a feel if holy is a worthy spec for healing again…Please help.

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About me

My name is Matticus and this is my World of Warcraft blog. Here you can read about my thoughts regarding healing as a priest. As a former guild master, I also write about guild and raid related topics. The blog has expanded to include thoughts from other regular contributors. The aim of this blog is to help you grow and improve. My unending goal is to have something relevant and useful in every post. or more, you can check out my columns on Blizzard Watch. Visit theGuildmasters to talk shop with other GMs, raid leaders, and officers. My current guild is on Kel'Thuzad US.